What if innovation in early childhood education isn’t about the new—but about returning to the wisdom of the past?

In this powerful episode, Māori educator and researcher Ngaroma Williams invites us to rethink “pedagogical innovation” through an indigenous lens. With over 40 years of experience, she shares how land, language, and ancestral knowledge shape truly transformative education in Aotearoa. From climate change projects guided by lunar cycles to reimagining teacher training in mainstream settings, this episode is a call to listen, unlearn, and reconnect.

Place matters. Language matters. Relationships matter.

Tune in to a conversation rooted in respect, resistance, and radical care.

Join us for a powerful conversation with Adefunke Ekine, Professor and Deputy Director at Tai Solarin University of Education and President of OMEP Nigeria, as she shares insights into the heart of early childhood education in Nigeria. From tackling school-related gender-based violence to pioneering innovative, culturally rooted teaching methods, Adefunke brings over 25 years of wisdom and unwavering advocacy for children and educators.

Discover how intergenerational storytelling, drama, and digital tools are reshaping classrooms—and why Nigeria’s early years sector is at a critical turning point.

Tune in now to explore how passion, policy, and play come together to create real change for the future of education in Nigeria. 

 #PedPod #EarlyChildhoodEducation #PedagogicalInnovation #OMEP #NigeriaEducation

Pedagogical Meets Responsible Innovation: Rethinking Early Childhood Teacher Education
Episode recorded live during a hybrid webinar with HVL Media Lab and NORBARN, April 29, 2025

How can we create meaningful change in early childhood teacher education (ECTE)? In this special episode of PedPod, recorded live during a NORBARN webinar, I was joined by Professor Liv Torunn Grindheim and Associate Professor Svein Gunnar Sjøtun to explore the intersection of pedagogical innovation and responsible innovation.

Together, they reflect on why many current reforms in ECTE fall short—and how a more ethical, inclusive, and practice-based approach might offer a better way forward. Drawing from theory, lived research, and international collaboration, they introduce the concept of Responsible Pedagogical Innovation (RPI)—a systemic, value-driven model for rethinking change in teacher education.

In the episode, expect thoughtful insights, cross-disciplinary perspectives, and a call to reflect on your own role in shaping the future of education.

In this PedPod by EX-PED-LAB episode, Margaret Kernan explores how pedagogical innovations emerge not from novelty for novelty’s sake, but from responding meaningfully to real-world challenges—especially those affecting children in vulnerable situations. Drawing from decades of international work with the International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI), Margaret shares how initiatives like the Together Old and Young Project (TOY Project) (*note that the new website is being revamped), Toy for Inclusion and Toy for Participation use intergenerational learning to build stronger, more inclusive communities.

As in the vignette above, she emphasizes that innovation must begin with asking, “Where is the pain?”—a guiding question that helps educators and organizations design responsive, community-rooted solutions. From play hubs that bring together young children and older adults, to support for migrant families and underserved communities, Margaret advocates for creative, context-sensitive approaches that center play, belonging, and child participation.

Highlighting the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration, cultural sensitivity, and reflective practice, Margaret reminds us that innovation often lies in reclaiming the wisdom of the past—not by repeating it, but by adapting it to today’s complex educational landscapes.

With this, we welcome you to another inspiring episode of PedPod by EX-PED-LAB. Happy listening!

Welcome to another episode of PedPod by EX-PED-LAB! Today, we are honored to have a conversation with Mercedes Mayol Lassalle, the World President of OMEP—the World Organization for Early Childhood Education. With decades of experience in policy, advocacy, and education, Mercedes is an Argentinian-based global leader in the fight for inclusive, high-quality early childhood education.

 In this episode, Mercedes shares her journey, the challenges facing early childhood education worldwide, and the critical role of pedagogy and pedagogical innovations in shaping future generations. We discuss the power of play, the politics of education, and why early learning must be a global priority. Plus, an exclusive invitation to the OMEP World Conference in Italy!

Tune in for an inspiring discussion on transforming the field of early childhood education and care. Happy listening! 

Welcome to the 2nd season of PedPod by EX-PED-LAB podcast!

This season, we will be exploring more perspectives through different formats. Apart from having guests from the continents of Asia, South America, and Africa, there will be episodes that feature global and local (GLOCAL) project initiatives from Banrkunne and EX-PED-LAB researchers.

We kick off this season with a conversation with Dr. Vina Adriany who is a Professor at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, and also currently the Director for the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Centre for Early Childhood Education Care, Education and Parenting (SEAMEO CECCEP). Vina's research interests lie in the discourses of gender and social justice in early childhood education and care (ECEC), and she is also interested in the impact of neoliberalism in ECEC.

In this episode, Vina shares:
“I think when we are talking about pedagogical innovation, it's not simply about new teaching methods or, you know, it's not simply about bringing new technology to the classroom. I'm not saying they are not important. They are extremely important. But I think we need to redefine what we mean by pedagogical innovation. So for me, pedagogical innovation is an attempt to challenge dominant discourse. It can be a Western production theory of knowledge. It can be an economic discourse, which is very strong when we talk about early childhood education. Economic discourse is everywhere. And it's also our attempt to decolonize and perhaps democratize our education because we are trying to create the bridge between Western knowledge and indigenous knowledge. Throughout our conversation, I hope it's clear that I'm not trying to completely deny the existence of Western theories, but I think there is a need to go beyond Western theories. So having local theories, in my opinion, can really complement Western theories on children's development. And also because we talk about, you know, that in Southeast Asia, communities play a very important role so I think when we talk about pedagogical innovation it's not only limited to teacher training programs but what can we do in order to also empower our communities because communities I think play a very important role in shaping educational practices of our children and also believing that teachers and our community are co-constructors of knowledge. So they are not a passive recipient of any programs, or any training that the government wants to implement, but they are also actively participating in the construction of knowledge. So I think that perhaps my understanding of pedagogical innovation really calls for, you know, a more decolonized perspective and also a culturally responsive approach to seeing education in general, especially early childhood education.” 

Happy listening! 

In this PedPod by EX-PED-LAB episode, Anthony Okely emphasizes that pedagogical innovations in early childhood education should prioritize rethinking and adapting existing practices to fit specific contexts rather than introducing entirely new methods. His work highlights the importance of play, high-quality educator-child interactions, and creating supportive environments for physical activity and development. He stresses that innovation should align with cultural, spatial, and resource-specific realities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where challenges like limited educator training and space constraints often exist.

Tony advocates for integrating movement and play into daily routines in ways that do not add extra burdens on educators, fostering collaboration with families, communities, and other sectors like health and urban planning. He highlights the need for evidence-based approaches, such as those developed through his Sunrise Project, which collects global data on movement behaviors in young children. Ultimately, he views innovation as being about small, meaningful changes that encourage creativity, strengthen relationships, and provide children with autonomy through play-based learning.

With this, we welcome you to the 10th episode of PedPod by EX-PED-LAB. Happy listening!

Welcome to the 9th episode of PedPod by EX-PED-LAB. In this episode, I had a dialogue with Jayne White, a full Professor in the University of Canterbury New Zealand, when she visited Barnkunne some months ago. Jayne specializes in dialogic philosophy, pedagogy and methodology, and she also is the Editor-in-Chief of the Video Journal of Education and Pedagogy.

In this episode, Jayne emphasizes the critical role of pedagogical innovations in early childhood education. She highlights pedagogy as both process and product, rooted in historical concepts of guiding learners, while evolving to incorporate strategies that enhance learning opportunities. Jayne underscores that children are natural innovators, urging educators to foster curiosity by adapting to children's concerns rather than adhering to rigid, outdated curricula. Teachers, as pedagogical innovators, must be courageous, creative, and responsive, embracing dialogic practices that promote collaborative inquiry and interdisciplinary perspectives: 

Happy listening! 

Welcome to the 8th episode of PedPod by EX-PED-LAB. In this episode, I had an online conversation with Marilyn Fleer, a Professor Emerita in early childhood education and development and leader of the Conceptual PlayLab at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia where she is also a Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellow. Her research interests lie in the areas of early childhood science, engineering and technologies with particular attention on digital visual methodology framed through cultural-historical theory.

In this episode, when asked about pedagogical innovations, she responded: 

Happy listening! 

Welcome to the 7th episode of PedPod by EX-PED-LAB. In this episode, I had a conversation with Mathias Urban, the Desmond Chair of Early Childhood Education and Director of the Early Childhood Research Centre (ECRC) at Dublin City University, Ireland (DCU). His research interests lie in answering questions of policy related to diversity and equality, social justice, evaluation, and professionalism in education and care systems for young children, families, and communities in diverse socio-cultural contexts.

In this episode, Mathias talked about some of his projects where they ask: What is it that makes early childhood systems resilient, responsive to disruption, but also leads to them, well, ensuring more just and more equitable outcomes for all children? Further, he shares that we "can talk about innovation in a way in a technical sense and can say actually sort of what kind of new programs do we need or should we talk about artificial intelligence and the benefits of it. I would say that the critical task of, and you might want to call it innovation, you might find other terms for that, is to actually fundamentally rethink the purpose of education in our times, as I said, in the second quarter of the 21st century, and to look at whether the purpose of education can still be preparing children for a future that we think is largely known in terms of this is what you need to learn now in order to be able to cope in 20 years time."
 

Find out more about Mathias' thoughts on pedagogical innovations--click on this link to listen to the podcast!